When the Rain Is Coming Down
by I-Breathe-Books-Like-Air
Summary: ...In which I am struck with feelings at 3 in the morning with only a laptop to relieve my sorrows. Annabeth Chase knows that staying strong is not an option of choice, but an obligation to follow through with. Post TLH, Pre SoN


**Set shortly after the events of ****_The Lost Hero_**  
**_Annabeth_**

Rain poured down in sheets, drops plinking against the old worn wood beneath her feet in an almost musical manner. The gray clouds were hazy and matched her mood nearly perfectly. If they were darker, like storm clouds, she probably would have been more satisfied, but a magical camp could only instill so much within a miserable girl.

She supposed she should be lucky that she was getting any rain at all, without Demeter campers or a divine force to tend the plants Chiron had been forced to let the winter rainstorm in to fulfill the job, although she was disappointed with the results.

She had been hoping for loud crashes of thunder and lightning bright enough to blast the entire sky with brilliant sparks and flashes. She wanted to feel wind tearing at her sweatshirt and rain slicing her face and adrenaline pumping through her veins so that then she could scream; scream until her lungs burst and someone up above heard her pain. Understood her sorrow.

She stuck her hands in her pockets and stared out across the murky lake, the smooth surface shattered with droplets of rain falling from the heavens every few seconds. The image of her letting loose every pent up emotion inside was still fresh in her mind, a dangerously tantalizing idea. But she was a warrior and more importantly a leader, and in a position of power composure was an obligation.

She turned her face skyward and reveled in the storm raging within. Storm clouds... Percy used to say her eyes reminded him of storm clouds, beautiful and relentlessly strong.

It was almost as if her heart winced as the thought involuntarily crossed her mind. She felt summer sunshine suddenly warming her skin and a sparkling green lake replacing the bleak one that lie in front of her now-ghosts of a memory that could have been from a lifetime ago.

"Hey, Annabeth," A teasing voice said in her ear and she swore she could feel his arms wrapped snuggly around her waist, his warm breath tickling her neck. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, soaking up the familiarity.

He chuckled as if amused by her obvious pleasure. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right?"

She gave a small gasp and the memory melted back into nothing but cold rain and wind until she was alone once more.

The back of her hand pressed against her mouth and she fought the urge to scream right there. Gods why was this so _hard_? A metallic taste filled her mouth and she realized she'd bitten her arm hard enough to break the skin. She'd gone months without seeing her boyfriend before, what was different about this time?

_"You have no idea if he's OK,"_ A cruel whisper answered from the back of her mind. _"You don't know where he is. Or if he even knows who you are, and you won't find out until you see him again..._If_ you see him again."_

She sucked in a hard breath, mentally shoving all the horrific scenarios away. A missing best friend could not be a cause for crumbling. Sure, he was a major part of who she was, like the framework of a building. Remove that and logically speaking the structure should deteriorate instantly, but there were other materials present forcing the remains together, just as there were other responsibilities and duties that dragged her out of bed and kept her on her feet. If they were powerful enough they would keep the worn structure together; feeble and unsteady perhaps, but standing all the same.

And she could help hold herself together. She was strong enough to do that.

"Yes. You are." She turned to see a ghostly image of her boyfriend rippling in the downpour. His green eyes kind as he appraised her.

Coming from a person of rational thinking she knew she should have been frightened, presuming she had finally lost it, but all she felt was crushing disappointment at the prospect that he was not real and would not be staying long-and even as her chest squeezed and her throat burned with unshed tears she squared her shoulders, raising her chin ever so slightly to fix him with a solid stare.

"I _will_ see you again," She told him. His beautiful face wavered in the wind but she could see a smile crooking his lips up and she wondered fleetingly, if he really were here would he be proud?

He nodded and she longed to reach out and stroke his face, only stopped by the knowledge that he would disappear if she followed through with her desire. "I'll be waiting." The soft words broke apart as a gust of wind blew across the lake top, taking her boyfriend completely.

She stared at the spot where he had appeared with an intensity that made her eyes sting. Something rolled down her cheek and she was not sure if it was a raindrop or a tear, but she did not move to wipe it away.

"Annabeth?" A tentative voice drifted from somewhere nearby, slowly drawing nearer as its owner squished through the puddles toward her. "Leo wants you to take a look at a few ship designs. He asked me to come find you."

The slapping sneakers halted. Piper McLean's tan hands wrung together in her peripheral vision. "But if you don't want to," There was a new level of softness to her tone. "Then that's okay."

It took her a moment to respond and when she finally did she was pleasantly surprised at the calm in her words, despite everything she had just gone through.

"No," She found herself turning to face the daughter of Aphrodite. "I'll come. Getting kind of chilly anyway." Just to prove her point she rubbed her arms and shivered.

Piper instantly relaxed. "OK," she said and shoved her hands into her coat pockets. "Cool."

They started trudging down the dampened dock.

"I don't know how you can stand this rain." She watched Piper's nose wrinkle in discomfort. "I've only been out here five minutes and I'm freezing."

She flashed to before, Percy's eyes bright through the misty haze of rainfall.

_I'll be waiting._

"I don't know," She told the younger girl who stared up at her curiously. "Camp doesn't get a lot of rain. I guess I'm just...trying to enjoy it while it lasts."

"Huh," Piper frowned then waved her hand. "Well everyone's different I guess. Personally I prefer summer, the beach and all that."

"I used to live by the beach."

"Me to!" The daughter of Aphrodite's eyes were as bright and ever changing as a kaleidoscope. "Which beach?"

And so she told her, both of their backs to the lake full of memories and whispers of the past, and nothing but the bright inviting lights of a cabin holding the key to all of their futures ahead.

* * *

**Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, and Percy Jackson all belong to Rick Riordan :)**


End file.
